We are doing science for policy

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the European Commission's science and knowledge service which employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to EU policy.

Research

Our scientific work supports a whole host of EU policies in a variety of areas from agriculture and food security, to environment and climate change, as well as nuclear safety and security and innovation and growth.

Our research topics give a deeper insight into that support of EU policy, while you can also discover the unique laboratories and facilities where our scientists work.

News & Events

Our news gives you an insight into our support of EU policy and highlights the scientific research carried out everyday within the European Commission.

You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter for all the latest information directly to your inbox and check out our events for opportunities to participate. Or check out our photos and videos for an instant look at the world of science at the European Commission.

POTEnCIA

POTEnCIA (Policy Oriented Tool for Energy and Climate Change Impact Assessment) is a modelling tool that allows for a robust assessment of the impact of different policy futures on the EU energy system developed by the JRC.

It is designed to assess the impacts of alternative energy and climate policies on the energy sector, under different hypotheses about surrounding conditions within the energy markets. The model follows a hybrid partial equilibrium approach combining behavioural decisions with detailed techno-economic data, therefore allowing for an analysis of both technology-oriented policies and of those addressing behavioural change. Special mechanisms and features are implemented as to appropriately represent the transformation of today’s energy systems and capture the implications of the uptake of novel energy technologies and of changing market structures.

The output of the model consists of:

installed equipment capacities, characteristics and rate of use (both for the demand and the supply side)

dynamic technology improvements for the demand side

The model covers each EU Member State separately, while offering, in addition, the option of addressing the EU28 energy system as a whole. The typical projection period that can be analysed by POTEnCIA is up to year 2050 in annual steps.